Toast Interactive recently shared some unsettling news: their VR titles, Max Mustard (2024) and Richie’s Plank Experience (2017), have been pulled from the Horizon Store for Quest. The specifics of why this happened remain ambiguous. However, the seasoned indie studio isn’t hiding their disappointment, stating the removal left them feeling “betrayed and powerless.”
In a post on X, the studio expressed their dismay, noting, “Unfortunately, Meta has unilaterally chosen to remove Toast and its two games, Max Mustard and Richies Plank Experience from their store. We feel betrayed and powerless on many levels.”
While temporary removal due to technical glitches isn’t unheard of, that doesn’t seem to be the case this time. Toast Interactive hinted that there’s an underlying cause, though they’re not at liberty to reveal it yet. They did promise, “We look forward to sharing our story with you all in the near future.”
Further comments from Toast Interactive on Reddit suggest the reason will be shocking: “The reason will blow everyone’s minds. But I’ve been firmly advised not to.”
On the Horizon Store pages for both Max Mustard and Richie’s Plank Experience, the games are flagged as non-compliant with Meta’s Platform Abuse Policy. However, specifics on how they violated the policy are scant.
The platform abuse policy by Meta is comprehensive, covering issues like pirated content, security breaches, or any deceptive practices. Yet, it also includes vague areas open to interpretation, such as failing to follow developer documentation or other terms related to Meta’s various guidelines, which could lead to an app’s removal, with or without prior notice.
Despite the setback on the Horizon Store, both games are still accessible on other platforms. Max Mustard remains available for PC VR, PSVR 2, and Pico headsets, while Richie’s Plank Experience can still be found on PC VR, the original PSVR, and Pico headsets.
The timing of this development couldn’t be worse for Toast Interactive. Just last month, the Gold Coast, Australia-based studio announced office closures and significant layoffs. This followed an earlier round of layoffs in November 2024, impacting ten employees. The studio had stated that although Max Mustard was among the highest-rated games on both PSVR 2 and Meta Quest, it couldn’t support a large indie team.
As this situation continues to unfold, we’re reaching out to Meta for more insight and will update with any responses or new information as it becomes available.
